into Miss Henderson. It was painful. Then he withdrew the needle from my back and swabbed the area again with alcohol and cotton.
"What are you going to do with me?" I whispered.
"You are going to be taken to the planet Gor," he said. "I think I know a little market where you might be of interest"
"Gor does not exist," I said.
He rose to his feet and discarded the cotton and the second syringe.
"Gor does not exist!" I said.
"Put him in the van," he said to the men.
"You are mad, all of you!" I cried. I was lifted by two men. "Gor does not exist!" I cried. I was being carried toward the door. "Gor does not exist!" I cried. "Gor does not exist!"
Then I lost consciousness.
3 THE LADY GINA
I screamed with pain, awakening suddenly. I tried to get to my feet. I could not do so. My wrists and ankles seemed confined. There was something heavy on my neck. I got to my hands and knees. I could not believe my senses. I was collared, and naked and shackled. Then the lash fell again, and I cried out with misery, slipping to my stomach. I lay on a flooring of large blocks of fitted stone. My wrists were chained to one iron ring, my ankles to another. I felt wet straw beneath my body. The stones were damp. There were no windows in the room. The light was dim, being furnished by a tiny lamp in a small niche. The place was dank, and smelled of wastes. I thought it might be far below the ground. I was intensely conscious of the heavy metal collar I wore. There was, attached to it, as I conjectured, hearing the tiny sound of its movement and its clink on the stone beneath my body, a smaller piece of metal, perhaps a ring of some sort.
Then the lash, as I wept from the pain, struck me again and again.
"Please, stop!" I begged. "Please, stop!"
Then I no longer felt the disciplinary tearing of the leather at my flesh.
The gravity of this world was different from that of my own, being slightly less. I knew then I was no longer on Earth.
I turned, frightened, in the chains, to see who had struck me.
A strong woman stood there, perhaps some five feet ten inches in height and one hundred and forty pounds in weight. She was breathing heavily and, in two hands, held the whip tightly gripped. She was dark-haired and dark-eyed. She was muscular and strong, but her figure was striking. She wore a leather halter and tights of black leather. Her midriff was strikingly white, and her arms and legs. There was a golden armlet on her left arm. Her hair was held back by a leather band. She wore a heavy, studded belt, tightly buckled, and heavy sandals, almost like boots, with thongs. From her belt there hung a ring of keys and a coiled chain, with a snap. On her belt, toward the back, on her right side, in a snap strap, hung a pair of steel manacles.
I tried to turn away from her, for I was naked, but she drew back the whip and, suddenly, again struck me.
"You are a woman," I said, half turned from her, stung by the fierce stroke of her whip. There were tears in my eyes.
"Do not insult me," she said.
She then struck me again with the whip. I cried out with misery.
She then changed her position, walking about me, until she stood a few feet ahead of the forward ring, that to which my hands were chained. Again I tried to turn to the side, that I might not be so shamefully exposed to her.
"Kneel facing me," she said. "Spread your legs"
I did so, miserable with embarrassment.
"Free persons may look upon you as they please," she said.
"You speak English," I said.
"A little," she said, "not much. Some four years ago my superiors thought that it might be useful for me to learn the language. A female captive, a graduate student in linguistics, kept under close discipline, was acquired to teach me. When I had learned a sufficient amount she was disposed of."
"Slain?" I asked.
"No," she smiled. "She was intelligent and attractive. Thus we made her a slave and sold her. She was purchased by a strong master. She
"What are you going to do with me?" I whispered.
"You are going to be taken to the planet Gor," he said. "I think I know a little market where you might be of interest"
"Gor does not exist," I said.
He rose to his feet and discarded the cotton and the second syringe.
"Gor does not exist!" I said.
"Put him in the van," he said to the men.
"You are mad, all of you!" I cried. I was lifted by two men. "Gor does not exist!" I cried. I was being carried toward the door. "Gor does not exist!" I cried. "Gor does not exist!"
Then I lost consciousness.
3 THE LADY GINA
I screamed with pain, awakening suddenly. I tried to get to my feet. I could not do so. My wrists and ankles seemed confined. There was something heavy on my neck. I got to my hands and knees. I could not believe my senses. I was collared, and naked and shackled. Then the lash fell again, and I cried out with misery, slipping to my stomach. I lay on a flooring of large blocks of fitted stone. My wrists were chained to one iron ring, my ankles to another. I felt wet straw beneath my body. The stones were damp. There were no windows in the room. The light was dim, being furnished by a tiny lamp in a small niche. The place was dank, and smelled of wastes. I thought it might be far below the ground. I was intensely conscious of the heavy metal collar I wore. There was, attached to it, as I conjectured, hearing the tiny sound of its movement and its clink on the stone beneath my body, a smaller piece of metal, perhaps a ring of some sort.
Then the lash, as I wept from the pain, struck me again and again.
"Please, stop!" I begged. "Please, stop!"
Then I no longer felt the disciplinary tearing of the leather at my flesh.
The gravity of this world was different from that of my own, being slightly less. I knew then I was no longer on Earth.
I turned, frightened, in the chains, to see who had struck me.
A strong woman stood there, perhaps some five feet ten inches in height and one hundred and forty pounds in weight. She was breathing heavily and, in two hands, held the whip tightly gripped. She was dark-haired and dark-eyed. She was muscular and strong, but her figure was striking. She wore a leather halter and tights of black leather. Her midriff was strikingly white, and her arms and legs. There was a golden armlet on her left arm. Her hair was held back by a leather band. She wore a heavy, studded belt, tightly buckled, and heavy sandals, almost like boots, with thongs. From her belt there hung a ring of keys and a coiled chain, with a snap. On her belt, toward the back, on her right side, in a snap strap, hung a pair of steel manacles.
I tried to turn away from her, for I was naked, but she drew back the whip and, suddenly, again struck me.
"You are a woman," I said, half turned from her, stung by the fierce stroke of her whip. There were tears in my eyes.
"Do not insult me," she said.
She then struck me again with the whip. I cried out with misery.
She then changed her position, walking about me, until she stood a few feet ahead of the forward ring, that to which my hands were chained. Again I tried to turn to the side, that I might not be so shamefully exposed to her.
"Kneel facing me," she said. "Spread your legs"
I did so, miserable with embarrassment.
"Free persons may look upon you as they please," she said.
"You speak English," I said.
"A little," she said, "not much. Some four years ago my superiors thought that it might be useful for me to learn the language. A female captive, a graduate student in linguistics, kept under close discipline, was acquired to teach me. When I had learned a sufficient amount she was disposed of."
"Slain?" I asked.
"No," she smiled. "She was intelligent and attractive. Thus we made her a slave and sold her. She was purchased by a strong master. She
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